BRAVE WOMEN IN HISTORY: PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY

PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY

PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY WAS BORN IN 1749 AT THE PALAZZO CARIGNANO IN TURIN, ITALY. SHE WAS THE DAUGHTER OF PRINCE LOUIS VICTOR OF CARIGNANO.

AT THE AGE OF 18 YEARS, SHE MARRIED THE PRINCE OF LAMBALLE OF THE HOUSE OF BOURBON, WHO WAS HEIR TO THE GREATEST FORTUNE IN FRANCE.

SADLY SHE BECAME A WIDOW A YEAR LATER WHEN HER HUSBAND DIED UNEXPECTEDLY.

SHE INHERITED HIS LARGE FORTUNE AND BECAME A PROMINENT ARISTOCRATIC PRESENCE AT THE COURT OF VERSAILLES, AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS LA LAMBALLE.

SHE BEFRIENDED MARIE ANTOINETTE, WHO WAS THE DAUGHTER OF EMPRESS MARIE THERESE OF AUSTRIA, EVEN BEFORE MARIE ANTOINETTE BECAME QUEEN OF FRANCE.

WHEN KING LOUIS XVI WAS STILL HEIR TO THE FRENCH THRONE, HE WAS KNOWN AS DAUPHIN WHILE HIS WIFE MARIE ANTOINETTE'S TITLE WAS DAUPHINE OF FRANCE.

PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY BECAME A VERY CLOSE FRIEND OF MARIE ANTOINETTE.

WHEN THE DAUPHINE MARIE ANTOINETTE BECAME QUEEN OF FRANCE, SHE APPOINTED PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY AS SUPERINTENDENT OF THE QUEEN'S HOUSEHOLD,

WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST POSITION FOR A LADY-IN-WAITING AT THE COURT OF VERSAILLES.

PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY IN SERVICE TO QUEEN MARIE ANTOINETTE OF FRANCE

THE CLOSE AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP OF QUEEN MARIE ANTOINETTE AND PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY WAS THE SUBJECT OF GOSSIP AT THE COURT OF VERSAILLES AND THE COMMON PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR ACCUSED THE QUEEN AND THE PRINCESS OF CONDUCTING A LESBIAN LOVE AFFAIR.

MARIE ANTOINETTE

LA LAMBALLE

WHEN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION ERUPTED, PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY DUTIFULLY AND CAPABLY SERVED THE QUEEN AS LIASON BETWEEN THE MONARCHY AND THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONARIES.

SHE ALSO TRAVELED TO ENGLAND AND TRIED TO CONVINCE THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER WILLIAM PITTS TO COME TO THE RESCUE OF THE FRENCH MONARCHY.

WILLIAM PITTS WAS NONCOMMITTAL, GIVING ONLY VERBAL SUPPORT TO THE BELEAGUERED KING LOUIS XVI AND QUEEN MARIE ANTOINETTE.

WILLIAM PITTS BRITISH PRIME MINISTER

SENSING INCREASING DANGER IN FRANCE, QUEEN MARIE ANTOINETTE TRIED TO DISCOURAGE PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY FROM RETURNING BACK TO FRANCE.

SHE WROTE TO HER DEAR FRIEND SEVERAL LETTERS ADVISING HER TO STAY IN ENGLAND.

IN THE YEAR 1791, SHE WROTE

"DO NOT RETURN. THERE WOULD BE TOO MUCH TO GRIEVE YOU IN THE PRESENT STATE OF OUR AFFAIRS. I KNOW WELL THAT YOU ARE A GOOD AND TRUE FRIEND AND FROM THE DEPTH OF MY OWN AFFECTION I FORBID YOU TO RETURN HITHER. ADIEU MY DEAR LAMBALLE AND BELIEVE THAT MY TENDER FRIENDSHIP FOR YOU WILL END ONLY WITH MY LIFE."

IN ANOTHER LETTER, THE QUEEN WROTE

"NO, I REPEAT IT, MY DEAR LAMBALLE, DO NOT RETURN TO US AT PRESENT. MY FRIENDSHIP FOR YOU IS TOO GREATLY ALARMED. AFFAIRS DO NOT APPEAR TO BE TAKING A BETTER TURN NOTWITHSTANDING THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE CONSTITUTION ON WHICH I COUNTED. STAY WITH THE GOOD MONSIEUR DE PENTHIEVRE WHO HAS SUCH NEED OF YOUR ATTENTION.

.....GOD GRANT THAT TIME MAY BRING ABOUT A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER BUT THE WICKED HAVE SPREAD ABOUT SO MANY COLUMNIES THAT I RELY MORE ON MY COURAGE THAN ON EVENTS. ADIEU THEN MY DEAR LAMBALLE. BE CERTAIN THAT WHETHER YOU ARE HERE OR FAR AWAY, I LOVE YOU AND AM CERTAIN OF YOUR AFFECTION."

THIS SECOND LETTER WAS RECEIVED WHEN PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY HAD ALREADY DISEMBARKED FROM THE SHIP THAT RETURNED HER TO FRANCE.

KNOWING THAT HER LIFE WAS IN DANGER, SHE MADE HER LAST WILL AND RETURNED TO THE SERVICE OF HER BELOVED QUEEN, STAYING WITH HER WHILE SHE AND HER ROYAL HUSBAND WERE IMPRISONED AT LE TEMPLE PRISON.

IN SEPTEMBER OF THE YEAR 1792, PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY WAS FORCIBLY SEPARATED FROM THE ROYAL FAMILY AND PLACED IN LA FORCE PRISON.

SHE WAS BROUGHT BEFORE A TRIBUNAL WHERE THE FOLLOWING CONVERSATION WAS RECORDED.

TRIAL OF PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY

"WHO ARE YOU?"

"MARIE THERESE LOUISE, PRINCESS OF SAVOY."

"YOUR EMPLOYMENT?"

"SUPERINTENDENT OF THE HOUSEHOLD OF THE QUEEN."

"HAD YOU ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THE PLOTS OF THE COURT ON THE 10TH OF AUGUST?"

"I KNOW NOT WHETHER THERE WERE ANY PLOTS ON THE 10TH OF AUGUST BUT I KNOW THAT I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THEM."

"SWEAR TO LIBERTY AND EQUALITY AND TO HATRED OF THE KING AND QUEEN."

"READILY TO THE FORMER BUT I CANNOT TO THE LATTER. IT IS NOT IN MY HEART."

HER LAST WORDS WERE CONSIDERED INSOLENT AND ANGERED MEMBERS OF THE TRIBUNAL. HER FATHER-IN-LAW THE DUC DE PENTHIEVRE HAD SENT SEVERAL MEN TO PROTECT HER AT THE TRIBUNAL. ONE MAN IMMEDIATELY WHISPERED TO HER.

DUC DE PENTHIEVRE FATHER -IN-LAW OF PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY

"SWEAR, IF YOU DO NOT YOU ARE A DEAD WOMAN."

THE PRINCESS RAISED HER HANDS TO HER HEAD, WALKED TOWARD THE DOOR AND SAID

"I HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY. IT IS INDIFFERENT TO ME IF I DIE A LITTLE EARLIER OR LATER.

I HAVE MADE THE SACRIFICE OF MY LIFE."

WHEREUPON THE JUDGE OF THE TRIBUNAL SAID

"LET MADAME BE SET AT LIBERTY."

THE WORDS OF THE JUDGE WERE OMINOUS.

TO BE SET AT LIBERTY MEANS TO BE RELEASED TO THE MURDEROUS CROWD WAITING OUTSIDE THE BUILDING.

PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY WAS LED OUT OF THE BUILDING BY TWO GUARDS.

THE MEN OF DUC DE PENTHIEVRE FOLLOWED. ONE TOLD HER TO CRY ALOUD "VIVE LA NATION" IN THE HOPE THAT THE CROWD WOULD SPARE HER LIFE BUT HIDEOUS DRUNKEN MEN ARMED WITH PIKES AND SWORDS IMMEDIATELY ATTACKED AND KILLED TWO OF THE MEN OF DUC DE PENTHIEVRE AND CAUSED THE OTHERS TO FLEE.

MURDER OF PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY

THEY THEN PLUNGED THEIR PIKES INTO HER BODY AND STABBED HER REPEATEDLY WITH THEIR SWORDS. AS THE PRINCESS LAY DEAD ON THE PAVEMENT, HER DRESS WAS COMPLETELY REMOVED, HER BREASTS WERE AMPUTATED AND HER HEART RIPPED OUT OF HER CHEST.

THEY THEN PROCEEDED TO DECAPITATE HER AND PLACE HER HEAD ON TOP OF A LONG POLE. HER HEART WAS ALSO DISPLAYED AT THE END OF ANOTHER PIKE. BOTH HER HEAD AND HER HEART WERE PARADED THROUGH THE STREETS OF PARIS.

WHEN THESE MURDEROUS COMMONERS PASSED THE SHOP OF THE HAIRDRESSER OF THE PRINCESS, THEY FORCED HIM TO DRESS HER GOLDEN HAIR AND TO PUT ROUGE ON HER LIPS AND CHEEKS. THEN THE HEAD WAS PARADED UNDER THE WINDOWS OF THE PRISON WHERE KING LOUIS XVI AND QUEEN MARIE ANTOINETTE WERE HELD. THE CROWD CHANTED FOR QUEEN MARIE ANTOINETTE TO OPEN THE WINDOW AND KISS THE LIPS OF HER LESBIAN LOVER THE PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY.

HEAD OF PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY PARADED THROUGH THE STREETS OF PARIS

QUEEN MARIE ANTOINETTE FAINTED AND KING LOUIS XVI WAS FORCED TO GO TO THE WINDOW AND LOOK AT THE HEAD OF PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY. THAT NIGHT HER DAUGHTER SAID THE HER ROYAL MOTHER "DID NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO SLEEP. SHE SOBBED AND SIGHED ALL NIGHT."

PRINCESS MARIE LOUISE OF SAVOY DIED IN THE YEAR 1792 AT THE AGE OF 42 YEARS.

FOLLOWING THE MURDER OF HER BELOVED AND FAITHFUL FRIEND, QUEEN MARIE ANTOINETTE WAS LEFT ALONE TO CONTINUE HER FIGHT AGAINST THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONARIES AND THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY.

HER ATTEMPTS TO MAINTAIN THE POWER OF THE MONARCHY WERE DEFEATED AT EVERY TURN AND IN THE END, HER ROYAL HUSBAND KING LOUIS XVI WAS SENT TO THE GUILLOTINE.